“Investing in yourself is the best investment you will ever make. It will not only improve your life, it will improve the lives of all those around you.” – Robin Sharma

So here we are at step #6 in the process of loving ourselves and it involves making an investment. Fortunately it’s one that everyone can afford regardless of how much cash you have in your piggy bank. It’s all about investing in yourself.

The List of Things You Need 2 Do 2 Love Yourself

1. Know yourself.

2. Be true to yourself.

3. Accept yourself.

4. Be gentle with yourself.

5. Value yourself.

6. Invest in yourself.

I’m not talking about buying yourself things because while that’s an investment of sorts, it’s not the kind that’s going to pay you back in the long run. That said, I’m never one to just walk by a shoe store without a little browsing so I’m not going to be a hypocrite and suggest that shopping isn’t fun too (because it is) but I want to talk bigger than just buying stuff.

Just the word investment immediately conjures up thoughts of money but have you ever thought of yourself as an asset? Do you realize that you provide value to your family, your friends, and yes, even your annoying little brother or sister? The thing is, you are only as valuable to others as your are to yourself. You need to believe in and invest in you in order to have a big payoff. It’s actually simpler than it sounds and I’m going to give you 3 easy steps to help you invest in yourself.

#1: Invest in your health

I know you think you’re young and invincible but you still need to take care of your body. Your parents have pretty much been helping you do this since you’re little by giving you healthy foods (like the veggies you probably hate) and making sure you exercise your mind and body. But, you’re getting older now and you need to start taking care of yourself. Believe me, you’re probably not as healthy as you think. I know a teen who started doing cheer without enough strength training or conditioning and it didn’t take long for her to inure herself and end up on the bench. So, don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re healthy just because you’re young. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that obesity is on the rise in a lot of places – especially in the US – and a lot of teens are overweight. Don’t beat yourself up about it – heck, most of us have a few extra pounds we could lose – but rather, decide that you’re going to take care of yourself because you’re worth it. Invest in your health.

#2: Invest in what makes you happy

What makes you happy? Really happy? Like deep down giddy happy? Do you spend enough time doing this happy thing? If you’re like most people you probably don’t. It’s easy to get distracted and busy with all the other things we have to do in life like school, sports, activities, family time, friend time, down time but that often doesn’t leave time for the things that make us happy. Why not start small and just do this thing for 5 minutes a day. You’ll be amazed that 5 minutes can quickly turn into more but if you don’t make time, no one else will. Promise yourself that you’re going to do what makes you happy because I promise, no one else is going to do it for you.

#3: Invest in your goals

Do you have something you want to accomplish? Something short-term or long-term? Are you actually working towards those goals or are they more like daydreams? I truly believe you can accomplish anything you set your mind to but not without action on your part. There are always things you can be doing to achieve a goal and coming up with a list of action steps and sub-action steps and sub-sub-action steps is not just useful, it’s necessary. Break it down into doable chunks and you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish.

See! Three simple things to invest in that are guaranteed to result in a happier you. Isn’t it time you started putting your money where your mouth is and investing in you?